TAMHSC joins research consortium

(COLLEGE STATION, TX) — The Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) recently joined the John S. Dunn Gulf Coast Consortium for Chemical Genomics (GCCCG), a collaboration of biomedical research institutions in the greater Houston area.

The research consortium was organized in 2003 to maximize collaboration and screening capabilities for scientists interested in developing an inter-institutional academic drug discovery program.

“We are very excited and honored to become part of the Gulf Coast Consortium for Chemical Genomics,” said David S. Carlson, Ph.D., TAMHSC vice president for research. “The GCCCG is a world-class facility that will provide researchers throughout the Texas A&M Health Science Center with unparalleled opportunities for research related to drug discovery and for accelerated translation of these discoveries into treatment of human disease.”

The consortium supports researchers by providing a centralized capability to perform high-throughput screening technologies. As a member, TAMHSC faculty now have access to GCCCG facilities located at other member institutions at regular (or internal) rates.

“We are especially enthusiastic about the opportunities for collaborating with other members of the GCCCG in the programs supported by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas for discovery and screening of new molecules and therapeutics that may have importance in the treatment of cancer,” Dr. Carlson said.

Other participating institutions include Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Houston, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, The University of Texas at Austin: Texas Institute for Drug & Diagnostic Development and Texas Southern University.

GCCCG is a research consortium of the Gulf Coast Consortia, formed in 2001 to facilitate cross-institutional, interdisciplinary collaborative efforts in quantitative biomedical research and training. Chosen from more than 800 candidates, the Gulf Coast Consortia was recognized as one of eight national finalists for the 2011 Collaboration Prize, noting the extraordinarily impactful and innovative collaboration as a nonprofit organization.